


The Ties That Bind Us

by Mysterie



Category: Undertale
Genre: AUs, Fluff, M/M, Red String of Fate, Soul Resonance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 21:03:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15348681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/Mysterie
Summary: Ink and Error have been rivals for as long as the two have known one another, but is that all they will ever be?





	1. One Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The language Error is confused about is Wing Dings. Sadly A03 doesn't support that font so I couldn't post it here as I had originally had it.

“P-persistent pEst!” Error yelled as he sent out blue strings towards a figure dressed in black robes. He had no idea who this odd individual was... just that they were in his way and had stopped him from erasing an AU. The figure hadn’t said two words since appearing, had only cut his strings and sent the black skeleton racing after them to put an end to them and the AU only to end up back in the Anti-Void. All he could see of the figure had been two purple lights... was this figure a skeleton monster like him? It didn’t matter, they were going to be dead soon. Except yet again his strings were deflected by a green shield. The other didn’t seem to want to fight, but in all honesty, this wasn’t the first time he’d seen them. For the last straight eight times he’d tried to erase an AU this glitch had shown up instead of Ink; if he didn’t know any better he’d think the figure was stalking him or something. They’d never said a word, at least not that he’d seen. He summoned two blasters but the figure merely dodged out of the way. He summoned bones but then they teleported away from the attack. He growled more and more as his attacks missed and yet the one before him didn’t make any move to attack. They never had and he was getting really sick and tired of dealing with them.

“WHAT D-DO YOU W-WANT?! S-STOP FOLLO-O-OWING ME!” A pair of skeletal hands appeared from the sleeves. Okay, this definitely proved they were a skeleton and were those... no... no one else should know that language...  

(Take care, Error)

“H-how?!”

(It doesn’t matter. Keep in mind one thing, should it ever come to pass for you. You are one side of a coin, he is the other. You cannot exist without one another.)

“Huh? W-what are yOu t-talking abOut?”

(Ink. Remember what I said.)

Before he could ask further the figure suddenly seemed to vanish into dust and Error was left to just stare at the spot the stranger had been in. What had just happened?


	2. A Rival Appears

“Please let me help you!” It seems the cry of the skeleton artist fell on deaf ears as he was sent flying.

“Help me? Heh... that’s funny.”

“Please... I just want to help! Why are you doing this?!”

“Why? You can never understand.”

“What wouldn’t I understand? Please... give me a chance.”

“I have no reason to listen to you. Goodbye, artist.”

“N-no!” Vials shattered as he flew through the portal, snapping many strings as he slammed onto the ground. Error’s head shot up. What had that been? He was connected to each of his strings, he’d been working on a new puppet when he’d felt several of them just snap from.... Something. With an irritated sigh he made his way across his Anti-Void only to freeze in surprise at the sight he came across. It was Ink. The last one he’d expect to crash through his place. Ink had never paid him any attention before. Well, no, that wasn’t entirely accurate; they’d fought many times, but Ink had never visited his part of the Anti-Void that he called sanctuary, his haven from all the noise of the AUs. Ink had never broached it nor seemed interested in doing so though he had tried, on several occasions, to get him to see his side. That was a headache though in truth he wanted to see the part of the Anti-Void called the Doodle Sphere; he was certain if he found that he would then find the Abyss...

The place where all AUs were born and where he could destroy them easily and at his leisure. The truth was, the Abyss was supposedly somewhere IN the Doodle Sphere. He just wasn’t sure where.... And Ink’s own little pocket of chaos that he called a haven was also in the Doodle Sphere.

“N-not so hiGh and m-mighty now are y-you Ink?” Error sneers. Ink slowly opened one eye socket, he seemed dazed; there was paint everywhere and a deep gash across the artist’s chest. Where the paint and sash usually hung was only torn cloth and.... He could see bone beneath, some of it looked to be stained with its owner’s namesake but it didn’t seem like the artist had noticed. There was a stream of colors pouring from the artist’s mouth at the moment, trickling out like some rainbow colored stream and Error realized that it was the artist’s form of blood. Apparently ink literally ran through Ink’s veins... or would if he had any veins. Error was rather disgusted by the sight, but even as he approached his fallen long-time foe something felt off. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something too familiar about all of this... like he had seen it’s like before though he had never come so close to destroying Ink before. Not that he could remember anyway. What did it matter? He knew all it would take was a single strike and-

White eyes met his gaze, Error stumbled back. He had  **never** seen Ink with white eyes, wasn’t even aware that Ink could do that or was even capable of it. The artist had seemed to abhor the color and avoided it like the plague... so then... His strings came at his command. Encasing the helpless skeleton that only looked up at him in sadness.

“So... th-this... is how.... It ends? I.... failed?” 


	3. A Close Encounter

Error looked at his nemesis... okay, maybe that was too strong of a word. He and Ink had never really been what one would call friends... enemies sure. They'd fought countless times but now as Ink was strung up, helpless and broken from... something that wasn't his doing... He found he couldn't do it. It would be too easy to snap the neck of his long time rival... rival? Well, maybe that's what they were... Ink always seemed to create and protect the abominations... even repair them after Error had obliterated them. They were like yin and yang and shouldn't he want to end that? Oh there was something in him that desperately wanted to, but at that moment whatever that thing was... it was silent. Ink simply stared up at him, so helpless and.... what the hell was wrong with him?!   
  
"Tch... p-p-pathetic." Ink closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable as he felt his conscious mind seem to begin to slip away. It was some time before he woke. He expected to be in agony as before, but he didn't feel like he was. What had changed? Ink carefully moved his various limbs and checked himself over, he was... more or less, in one piece and ... were those  _bandages_  encased in  **blue strings**?!? For once, the artist was at a loss for words as he lightly ran his fingers down each bandage. They were bound tightly around his left leg and his right arm. Cripes, where was his brush? He glanced around then nearly sighed when he saw it. More accurately, what was  _left_  of the thing. Where was Error? He didn't see the other skeleton and he wondered at this. Why? Why had Error done this? Didn't he hate him? Hadn't that been what years of fighting had sort of been about? Error destroying things and him fixing everything? Oh he'd tried to befriend the kinda-doppelganger several times, but each time his efforts had been rebuffed. Sometimes Error had laughed at the notion, while other times he'd scoffed and denied the need for friends. Ink knew, however, that Error wasn't so unlike him.

They had both been tossed into this endless expanse, the Anti-Void, and they had been alone for so long.... With a sigh he lay back down. He knew it was mostly hopeless for the moment to care too much. Most of his vials, if not all - he realized - had been broken and the precious paint lost. He looked at the ones that remained. He knew he needed to drink something... seeing his options he almost grimaced. Red, green and indigo were all that remained of his vials. He never used red unless he had to because it was a very.... violent one usually and while green was good for calming down he wanted to save that one for later; he had a feeling he'd need it if he was to run into Error again before he got more - which was unlikely considering the state of his brush. That left indigo.  
  
_I really don't think this one is a good idea... but what choice do I have left?_  He picked up the vial and downed its contents quickly then settled down to sleep. He hoped he could sleep off the most immediate of the effects so that it wouldn't overwhelm him... that would be embarrassing. He found himself drifting off again. Something awoke him later, it was the sensation of being moved. He realized he was laying on something soft now.... a pillow probably, and a light blanket had been draped over him.

  
"C'mon n-now... you c-c-can't quIt on m-me." He recognized Error's voice, but what the heck was that supposed to mean?! He felt a warmth bloom in him. Crap! The vial... He bit his tongue, opening his eye sockets the merest bit and flushed a little as he realized it was NOT a pillow his head was on... he was in Error's lap!!! What the heck?! He thought Error hated contact! Didn't he have a fear of being touched and yet... here he was, with Ink's head in his lap. Even worse was how comfortable Ink felt like this. It was like ... no no no no... he really shouldn't but... Without really thinking, Ink's sockets opened and stared up at the other.  _It's kind of cute really..._  Error looked down. Had he said that out loud? Error nodded. 

 _Well crap. No brain filter apparently and wasn't it just so nice to be laying on something warm and soft...._ A soft yellow seemed to grace the other's cheekbones as Error glanced away from Ink.

"d-don't get uSed to i-it." Was Error blushing. 

 _Oh stars! That's so cute!_  The flush became a brighter yellow. 

  
"S-s-stop that!"

  
"Stop what? Oh... did I say all that aloud?"

  
"Y-yes!!" Oh. OH. 

  
"Sorry... must be the - yawn - vial." 

  
"You m-mean you drinK thAt stufF?" Error seemed confused.

  
"Only when I really need the boost."

  
"What coLor did y-you take?!"

  
"Indigo." 

  
"Exactly w-what waS that stuff?!"

  
"Paint from the Creators... holds emotions - yawn - and Indigo often has softer emotions in it... like caring, but not just general kindness... more like the caring of a friend or family member... or..." 

  
"Or?" 

  
"A... loved one." 


	4. Chapter 4

A loved one?! Error about screamed, except that doing so would have jostled Ink and he didn't want the rainbow asshole awake. Again. He didn't want Ink staring up at him like he had before. That was just.... well... he wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it had sent a shiver down his spine and he wasn't used to feeling something like that. It was bad enough he was stretching his own mind's limits to keep the cursed artist alive. He looked over at the sash nearby and the remaining vials. So Ink drank their contents during an emergency? What emotions could the remaining two colors hold? What the heck? Why was he even considering this? He sighed inwardly, everything Ink had said had been because one of those vials right? He wondered if Ink really relied on those so heavily or if they really were just for an emergency. After all, he knew first hand that Ink, unlike any other monster that he had met... or human for that matter, did not have a soul. He stared down at the unconscious Sans. How had that happened? It had been a question, none of which had seemed to know, he'd asked many of those glitches before he had cut them down. Okay, he hadn't cut them ALL down... Ink had rescued many of them.

Including the annoying Blue and Nightmare's goody-goody innocent brother, Dream. Though the two of those Sanses had seemed to be the closest to Ink, neither one of them had been able to tell him why Ink didn't have a soul and had actually seemed shocked to have learned that detail. Wasn't there someone who knew besides the artist? Well, maybe there was ONE individual... he had only heard of them. A skeleton that roamed the multiverse like it was their personal playground. He had heard whispers of a name. Aria. it was name some said with reverence and others with fear. He had been very interested when he had heard the name come from the Horrortale Sans. The one who called himself Axe. Error cast his mind back to the encounter.  
  
 _"what do you want glitch?"  
  
"I wAs goinG to d-destroy this w-world but it's t-t-to patheTic as iT iS fOr m-me to b-bother."  
  
"heh, you talk big, but you wouldn't say that if _she  _was here."  
  
"W-who?"   
  
"Aria."   
  
"N-never hearD oF hEr."   
  
"interesting, because she knows _all _about you pal."_  
  
 _"Hmmm. I'll s-s-spare yOu iF yOu tEll m-me where to f-find heR."_  
  
 _"heh, even if i knew i wouldn't tell you. but... you want to find her... try a new place called Sentinaltale."_

  
  
Error hadn't been there, he hadn't been able to find the AU the other had mentioned either. He had been true to his word though.... he had spared the other monster... after cutting off one arm as retribution for talking back. He had heard later that the one he was looking for had paid a visit to the place and restored the monster's arm. Whoever this Aria was. She was not a normal monster and the whispers he had heard from world to world in search of her for answers seemed to only more and more prove this to be true. He had stumbled across a new AU called X-Tale, where a war had supposedly happened... and yet the entire AU was fine and happy. Apparently she had interfered there and that AU's residents were split between singing her praises for their world and cowering in fear. It had frustrated him to no end!  
  
Who was she? Why had he never me- The sense of magic tingling in the air made him snap his head around and his eye sockets narrowed. Who was this?! The figure was taller than him by just a few inches at most, a black cloak with a silver lining seemed to hide everything but the skeletal hand that was grasping a purple paintbrush that was obviously responsible for the portal that had appeared. He growled a little as he met twin purple eyelights that seemed to shine beneath the hood. The robes barely shifted as the figure moved forward and he could sense the magic that kept them in place so that the hood would not fall nor could any natural thing actually affect the robes as a whole in much of any way. 

  
"W-who are yOu?"

  
"My name is Aria." The female voice had a soft timber in it, the words were said with an even tone; there was little to no emotion in the way she spoke. 

  
"S-so you'rE the o-one I've b-been hearinG a-about." 

  
"Probably. I see my partner was not wrong. It seems this artist is indeed in need of help." Error growled quietly when she drew near. She stopped a few feet away. What the hell was wrong with him?! He wasn't a lap dog! Yet, the magic aura he sensed put him on the defensive right away. He had heard two sides of this individual. How could he know that they weren't the one who had attacked Ink? He knew nothing about them and he wasn't about to just trust some stranger. He narrowed his sockets as she chuckled.

  
"I see how it is."

  
"D-don't gEt the w-wrong idEa!" 

  
"I'm not going to hurt either of you. I'm only here to help. I'll start by mending his brush." Before Error could think to speak she had moved over to the broken bits in a swift movement and set the parts together. He craned his neck to watch, flashes of silver light seemed to come from her fingers as she did exactly as she had said and set the large paintbrush aside once it was completely done. It was like nothing had ever happened to it. He wanted to know how, but he was less curious about her and more about the sleeping skeleton in his lap. He wondered if she would answer him or if she would rebuff him like so many others had.

  
"Will yoU ans-s-swer mE?"

  
"Well now, that depends on what you're asking."  
  


Error thought about that a moment, well that was fair... he normally didn't do  **fair**  but something told him that attacking this individual would be a mistake. Especially after she had shown to be true to her word and had mended the paintbrush instead of attacking himself or Ink. 

  
"Do y-you kno-ow whY he HaS n-no soul?" She sat where she was.

  
"Yes, but it's a bit of a long story. Are you sure you wish to know?" Error hesitated. Did he? Since when did he care about this stupid artist? When had he begun to second guess himself and his purpose? 


	5. A Creator Among Creations

Error wasn't sure what to make of the story he'd heard. He knew he shouldn't care. He was the Destroyer of Worlds, why should this matter? It didn't. At least, he knew it shouldn't. He had stared at Ink, eyes unfocused, as he had listened to the one called Aria tell him about Ink's humble beginnings. He had felt... something. His soul had seemed to resonate with the tone she used, it had been a tone that seemed full of sorrow and regret. As if she had been the one who had pulled Ink into being, who had left his world unfinished, empty without a name and with monsters who could barely manage to speak let alone be able to feel. For why would those who were only sketches, half formed ideas, be able to feel anything? Error still had his soul, but he had lost his mind when he had lost everything; yet, here he was listening like a patient child. This.... wasn't like him. When he realized she had gone quiet he risked a glance at her and then a thought struck him. He HAD met her before. On more than one occasion too. He should be furious with her, now that he realized she was the robed stranger who had been thwarting him time and time again. But he wasn't. He didn't even feel a twinge of anger in his soul. He should want to rip her apart and have her covered in strings.... but he didn't so much as twitch.  
  
"You're conflicted." 

  
"W-what makes you sAy thAt?"

  
"Your posture. Error, maybe I don't know you... but I am from a place that has someone just like you. Someone who is just as destructive, a counterpart, if you will. He and I aren't the best of friends by any stretch of the word but I know him. I understand him, to a point, and in knowing him I know you." 

  
"A-another .... AU?" He ventured after a moment, disgust in his tone.

  
"Yes and no." 

  
"N-no?"

  
"It's complicated." He gave her a look that made her chuckle. 

  
"T-tell mE!"

  
"Alright. You are familiar with cause and effect correct?" He rolled his eye lights in response.

  
"W-who isn't?"

  
"Fair enough. I'll make this simple then, even though you and Ink are outside the multiverse, you are both "causes" and the reason I say this is because the multiverse itself is an AU."

  
"Y-you're kiddiNg." His eye sockets widened a little.

  
"I wish I were. Truth is, for every one person in the place I came from who decides to put their own spin on something from the Alpha Timeline... a new multiverse is born. Every time you, Error, destroy a world or Ink saves one... a new multiverse is created. Each one as unique as the fingerprints of every human being who ever was and will ever be. No two humans will ever have the same fingerprints. No two multiverses will ever be alike... parallel, similar perhaps, but there will always be SOME difference. You understand the implications here I assume." His eye sockets were suddenly empty.  
  
"Thought so. I come from one of those other multiverses." There was long moment of silence before Error's eyes returned.

  
"T-then whAt the h-hell aRe you d-doing hEre?!"

  
"Visiting. I don't just protect the AUs. That would be too easy with someone with my kind of power. No, I protect all of the multiverses. I can't, of course, interfere in each one but in this one I had to."

  
"W-why?" 

  
"Because the thing that attacked Ink comes from the multiverse I originally came from. It is my responsibility to ensure that it does not destroy this place." 

  
"L-lose yourS d-did you?" 

  
"No. My multiverse is still intact, as is the multiverse whose Creator spawned him; however, somehow he managed to learn about the many multiverses and because he knew he could not match me he set out to find a different multiverse. He assumes he can elude me in them. He hasn't, not entirely anyway. I should get going if I am to stop him."

  
"W-what is hE?"

  
"Let's just say he's like you, but instead of just wanting to destroy out of madness he does it because he  **feeds**  off the destruction of other places. He is an evil that was contrived to be nearly unstoppable and nigh invincible, but... I'm neither human nor monster. I am both and at the same time I am neither." 

  
"W-what aRe yoU?"

  
"Really?" 

  
"R-rEAlly."

  
"I'm a Creator. Just like the one who gave you life, who banished you from your world to the Anti-Void. Like the one who abandoned Ink and his world... like the one who drew the first Sans who would inspire everything you know." He stared as she stood up.

  
"I am one of THEM." For the first time in a long time... since he could remember, Error felt a sense of ... something and fear as the realization hit him. 

  
  
This being before him, who as she had said, was neither human nor monster... could easily wipe him from the multiverse with a single stroke. He remembered he had felt it the first time he had seen her, been thwarted by her; a shiver had run down his spine. It had made him angry at the time and he hadn't thought to question what it was he had felt, but he knew what it was. It was a current of raw power. She wasn't  **The**  Creator nor was she his, but she was  _a_  Creator and the weight of that revelation sent his soul quaking. The power he felt, he suddenly knew that if she willed it, everything he knew and himself would simply vanish. It wouldn't matter if the multiverse was full of life. This being before him was, he realized, one of just many god-like figures... and this one was roaming the multiverses. Helping. Not destroying, not imposing law or something like that... but  _helping_  stop threats that were like him. He swallowed. Would she destroy him now? He stared up at her as his thoughts clicked into place despite the overwhelming fear. She was... leaving? Was she not going to dust him?

  
"Y-you're l-leaving?" 

  
"I have to. I will return again if I'm needed, but for now you two are safe from him. That is enough for me." She sighed.

  
"I can see your fear, Error. No, I'm not going to destroy you. Don't you remember what I said last time we met?" 

  
"O-one side."

  
"Of a coin, yes. For balance to be maintained, there must be both creation and destruction. For each has a little of the other in it. Every time he creates a new world, he destroys the empty space that was there and each time you destroy a world you create an empty space to be filled. It is an endless cycle, life and death. Life may fight against death, but it is inevitable and from the death of one thing, life can spring up anew. Like the beetle, in the death of the adult male, new larva will have their first meal and set forth to bury themselves before becoming new adults the next year only for the process to repeat. It is gruesome to consider, but that is life and death together. A perfect harmony." He wasn't sure what to say and when he finally thought to say something he found that she was gone and he was again alone with Ink. He looked down at the unconscious artist. They were so different from one another.... and yet, there were doubts in his mind. He had hesitated to kill his long-time foe. Why? Ink had chased him across the multiverse over and over in an endless waltz as Error tried to silence them all but Ink tried to save them.

  
  
Yin and yang. Male and female. Life and death. Creation and destruction. He had never thought of this before. He pulled up a window of an AU. He pushed past the scenes of monsters living together with humans. He had to know. Was she right? He searched the AU, he wasn't even really sure which one it was because he hadn't paid any attention to the monsters. He searched and searched, surely there was some proof... or disproof of what she said. Then he saw it. A pair of insects that seemed to dance around one another in a courtship, then he watched as the smaller one bit off the other's head and then seemed to mate with the corpse. Error found himself fascinated by this insect that flew off, leaving the other dead without any remorse. He flipped through the AU looking for more and more examples... it seemed that there was indeed evidence of life and death in harmony, just as she had said. That green insect was only the first bit of evidence. He didn't know how long he spent looking but finally he let the window disappear as he felt Ink shift. He looked down at the artist, contemplating this new information. It seemed she had been right. What did that mean for him though? What that did mean for Ink? What was it she was trying to tell him? For a moment his soul seemed to quiver as the artist looked up at him. For a fraction of a moment, Ink's eyes had been white, but when he'd blinked they had become their normal blue. His left had a purple triangle in it.

  
"Hrm... Error?" 

  
"W-what?"

  
"You.... didn't leave." 

  
"Tch. Y-you woUlD l-like that w-wouldn't yOu?" 

  
"No. I... don't like being alone." Error glanced away at the echo of his own thoughts from when he had first been in the Anti-Void. He had hated being alone and now that he considered it... did he really want to be truly alone? No... that wasn't why he wanted to destroy the AUs. He believed there should be only one.... the Alpha Timeline. He knew, in the end, if he ever managed it, he too would have to vanish. He would have destroy himself. There was no happy ending for him. What did it matter? He had no friends. No family. Nothing to go bac- The feel of a hand on his cheek brought him out of his thoughts and he was startled to find he didn't mind it. It was warm, soft... 

  
"Why do you look so sad?" Ink murmured. Error didn't answer, but the movement of the thumb across his cheek let him know something he hadn't noticed until then; apparently he was crying. Real tears, not the strings he often made, which were also made of his tears and were why it was so hard to escape them. He hadn't felt anything like this in a long time and he didn't want pity. He glanced at Ink about to retort and shake him off, but the words died before they left him. The artist's eye had changed to a soft blue teardrop. As if he was about to cry himself. 


	6. Resonance

Error stared in pure shock at Ink. He couldn't form words, knew what he should have done... he should have done it hours ago. He should have moved Ink off him, he shouldn't be in this position. He shouldn't see that expression on his enemy's face. It wasn't pity, it was sorrow; plain and simple, and it was for him.... Error felt that tug again. He had felt something like it when he'd seen Ink when the artist had been sent hurling into his part of the Anti-Void. 

  
"You should never cry." Ink mumbled, like it was something that should be fact. 

  
"W... wh-hat?" He knew he should feel something like anger, but all he felt was surprise. Who knew the artist, who was so brash and child-like so often could be so.... soft? So gentle? With someone like him.

  
"Someone like you should never have a reason to cry." 

  
"Y-y-your'e not mAkinG seNse!" 

  
"I suppose not, but it's true. You've been hurt more than enough... more than anyone should ever be." Shock ran through him. Did... did Ink know? He had never talked about it in their many encounters, had never told anyone. How could Ink know what had happened to him? Unless... of course. It made sense now, Aria had likely told him... just as she had told him Ink's story; it wasn't so inconceivable that she would have mentioned it to the artist. What did this mean though? It shouldn't matter that Ink knew and yet, it did. Error glanced away; he wasn't sure he could take much more of this... whatever...  _this_  was! He had never encountered anything so... confusing. 

  
"S-stop talKinG n-nonsense! Y... you're n-not s-supposed tO l-look at m-me l-like thAt!" 

  
"Why? Is it a crime to wish you good fortune? To want to see you happy?" Error jerked back as if burned, confusion warring inside him. Ink... wanted him.... HIM.... happy?

  
  
Ink shifted to sit up, his hand that had been comforting Error now was helping him sit up as he looked at Error who seemed to be at a complete loss. Ink couldn't help the smile that came to him. Something had changed. He wasn't sure what it was, but it had. Error could have easily ended his existence... the AUs could have been left without a protector. He could have simply left Ink to suffer while he wiped out the AUs one by one without Ink to stop him... But he hadn't. As far as the artist knew, Error hadn't left this part of the Anti-Void since Ink had been thrown in. He had nursed him, instead, and had been caring for his wounds and had made sure he was comfortable. Though why he had thought to have Ink use him as a pillow Ink did not know. Did he not have a pillow? Did the other skeleton even know what one was? There were a lot of questions that Ink had, but at the moment, the way Error looked so much like a lost puppy just then, it was evident there would be no easy answers. All he knew was that something was stirring inside him. Something that had nothing to do with the last vial he'd consumed. It would be too easy to blame it on the paint he'd downed, but he was aware the initial effects of it had worn off. What he felt now was something that he was certain shouldn't be possible. He had been reliant so long on the paint that he was certain he couldn't feel without it. After all, he had no soul; without the vials he'd become emotionless again.... wouldn't he?

 

Yet it had been some time since he'd downed the contents of the vial and he didn't feel... different. Rather the overwhelming emotions of the vial had settled, faded completely and what he was left with should have been emptiness. He wasn't empty. There was something in him that was drawn towards Error. He didn't know exactly what it was aside from the fact that he had spoken the truth. He had wanted to be friends with Error, but the other had always refused and shook him off.   
  
"Isn't it time we stop fighting?" The words slipped out. He hadn't meant to say them, but it felt right at that moment. How many times had he asked that? How many times had Error scoffed at him? Yet, at that moment, Error seemed too ... what was the right word to use? Ink wasn't sure as he couldn't really tell what the other was thinking nor was he really familiar with what this sort of expression meant beyond confusion. Error was silent. For once, the other wasn't out right rejecting him or the idea that there could be peace between them. 

  
"Y-you still t-think...." Ink sighed, he expected Error to begin laughing, as he had on some occasions, but it didn't happen. Was this more evidence that something had changed? That there was... something else? Ink slowly nodded. Error said nothing else. It was strange, seeing the one many feared as the Destroyer of Worlds being so silent. So lost. Where was the cocky skeleton who had fearlessly faced him time and time again? Whom he'd been forced to oppose? Was this really the same one? In that moment as their eyelights met something seemed to connect between them. As if something clicked. Ink's eye sockets widened slightly as he felt something resonate within him. A feeling he never remembered having and yet instantly knew that it shouldn't be possible. He didn't have a soul. Right? He could think on his own, as any could, but feel? That should be impossible. What in the Creators was going on?! He knew, from watching the Alpha Timeline and the AUs that two monsters who were meant to be together could experience what was called a "resonance." It was two souls that were in harmony and recognized each other, like long lost friends, but so much deeper. Ink didn't have a soul. He shouldn't be able to experience a resonance. The shock on Error's own features mirrored his and he had no doubt that the other skeleton had felt it. How could this be?  


	7. Searching For Answers

Time was something that meant nothing in the Anti-Void. That was the way things had always been, but as time had marched on for others, Ink had progressively gotten better. The time he spent with Error was mostly in watching AUs, most often the one AU they both enjoyed was Outertale because of all the stars. No matter how long or how many times both had been there, it was still a joy to see and Ink felt that he knew who Error was more and more as the time passed simply by watching his reactions to certain AUs. He and Error said very little to one another during this time and all too soon Ink was back to his normal self. He was healthy enough to leave, to collect more paint, but at the same time he didn't want to leave. He had never been to this part of the Anti-Void simply because he hadn't known it had existed. There was no way to make note of where he was either and he didn't want Error to know where the Doodlesphere was so he couldn't just make a portal straight there. Error had forever been scouring the Anti-Void to find Ink's home in the Doodlesphere; the place that was home to the Abyss and where all AUs were born. It wasn't that Ink thought Error would destroy him, but rather he feared what Error may do if he found the birth place of all the AUs. It wouldn't take him long to simply erase them all from existence... even with the Sans that was supposed to be the guardian of the place; Ink knew he simply could not trust Error with that information.

Not yet anyway... maybe never. He didn't know. He found it odd that Error seemed almost friendly with him, but very quiet since that resonation. He still did not know how that was possible. Error had been just as confounded. Ink was sure he still didn't have a soul. So then... what HAD resonated? How was it that, even without drinking his normal dose of paint, that he felt... normal?  _I have to figure this out... maybe she can help me. She seemed to know a lot. Maybe she can give me a hint at least as to what is going on._  With that thought in mind, he picked up his brush and painted the portal he knew that he would need to find her. Well, maybe it wasn't the right place, but it was a good place to start... Sentinaltale. He soon found himself in a white space. He looked around. What the? Had he gotten it wrong? Wait, no, what was that in the distance? It looked like a pair of figures were talking quietly. Well... maybe this AU was mostly empty or something? With that in mind he headed for the figures only to realize it was Sans and Frisk... This AU's personal guardians. 

  
"Hey there!" He called when he got close, the two turned.

  
"Who are you?" Frisk asked right off. Ink nearly groaned when he realized he was shorter than BOTH of them... stars but why was everyone taller than him? 

  
"I'm Ink Sans! But you can call me Ink." The two exchanged a look as if they seemed, confused? 

  
"Uh.. I was hoping maybe you could help me find someone."

  
"depends. who you lookin' for?"

  
"Oh, well her name is Aria." 

  
"she ain't here pal."

  
"What he means to say is that she lives in the Anti-Void, not the void." 

  
"Oh."  _Well THIS could be quite the problem..._

  
"how'd you even get over here anyway?" 

  
"Portal, I protect the AUs so... it's kind of vital. Heh." 

  
It was one thing to move from AU to AU, but searching the Anti-Void without accidentally sending himself home... Now that was problematic because, as he had found from watching AUs, every AU that dealt with the Anti-Void usually led back to his home but this particular AU only existed in this multiverse for some reason. Ink hadn't figured out what that was, but he had figured that perhaps Aria might have the answer to that as well. Among other things. The longer he was in this multiverse, the more questions sprang to his mind. Who was she really? Where had she come from? Why had she been in his known multiverse in the first place? How much did she  **really**  know about him and Error, not to mention know about the AUs in general and the inhabitants of said worlds. There was a lot to ask. He just hoped that he would have the chance to ask it. 


	8. Answers

Error had only left the Anti-Void for a little while. He'd gone to pick up a few minor things from an AU. He hadn't expected Ink to just leave. He knew the other would eventually, but he hadn't really been prepared for it, most especially when he hadn't said a goodbye. Error wasn't sure what to think when he found the place empty of the artist's presence. He had grown accustomed to having someone around without even really realizing it. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but not this. He tried to tell himself that he'd been expecting this, what had he expected after all once Ink was better? Even so, he felt something tugging at his soul and for some reason the Anti-Void seemed so much bigger... emptier. Was that even really possible? He shook away the notion. It wasn't any bigger or more empty than it had been when he had first been dropped there. So why did it feel that way? He tried to shove the feeling away, distracting himself with a window into the AUs, but the feeling persisted. He snarled in frustration. Why was he feeling this way?! It wasn't like he and Ink were friends. No they had never been that and he couldn't just drag the artist back here like he had with that insufferable optimist, Blue. He considered opening that AU and dragging the "royal guard" into the Anti-Void again just to have some company but then dismissed the thought just as quickly. That wouldn't help. He really didn't want to listen to the other whine and complain or try and "talk sense" into him. Plus he didn't really feel up to fighting anyone, let alone ending up in yet another fight with Ink. As that was sure to be the result no matter who he dragged here with him. Well... it would get the artist's attention wouldn't it? Still he didn't want to go back to Underswap again. There had to be some other place....  
  
"Do you have any way to get her attention?" Ink asked as he looked at the two Sentinals. At least that was what he'd learned they were called. The two looked at one another before Frisk nodded.

  
"Well, there is one way, but I don't know what her reaction will be. We've never had a cause to use them." Ink was about to ask what she meant when he saw that she had a small silver bracelet around one arm that had what looked like small purple beads around it. She pressed one and it popped beneath the pressure like a tiny bubble. After several seconds, it seemed to re-inflate again back to its normal size and shape. Ink would have been fascinated by this whole thing if he hadn't been distracted by a portal that opened and the figure that stepped forth.

  
"You called?" 

  
"Ink here wanted to talk with you and we weren't sure how else to get ahold of you." Frisk replied, Aria nods and turned to him.

  
"I had some questions for you, I was hoping maybe you had the answers."

  
"Well, that depends I suppose." 

  
"You know everything about the AUs don't you?" 

  
"More or less." 

  
"So then, you know I don't have a soul, right?"

  
"Yes. Where is this going?"

  
"Well... something happened... umm... with Error. Something that should be impossible." He felt his cheekbones heat a little and he was sure that he was likely blushing; the rainbow colors adding color to his usual pale features. Aria looked over at the Sentinals who got the message and left the two of them alone, going off to a different part of the Void while she and Ink talked. 

  
  
"Um, well... our souls resonated. Except that's impossible because I don't have one!"

  
"Well, you did once." 

  
"I did?" She nodded and told Ink what she knew of his past.

  
"I.... I see." He was shocked by what he had learned. It was... sad to hear. 

  
"But... if I really did that... how can I feel now without the influence of the paint? How is it that I can have something like a soul resonation with Error without having a soul? Shouldn't that be impossible?" 

  
"One thing I have learned since arriving in the multiverse, nothing is impossible."

  
"So... what does this mean then?"

  
"Well, let me analyze you a moment and I'll tell you what I find out." 

  
"Uh.. okay, is there something I need to do?" 

  
"No, just stand still for me, that will be enough." 

  
"Okay." He stood there in silence, he didn't feel anything but he did see that her purple eyelights had suddenly become silver. Was that supposed to happen? He wasn't sure exactly what she meant by analyzing him. He fidgeted a little, it was like she was staring into him; like she could see through his clothing or something and it made him a little uncomfortable after a while. He couldn't help it but her eyelights eventually flickered away from and became purple again. It was a bit of a relief really and he nearly sighed aloud. That had been... just a little unnerving. 

  
"Sorry, I guess I should have warned you about that."

  
"N-no. It's okay, I just didn't expect to be stared at for so long."

 

"I imagine not, my magic lets me see things that most others can't."

  
"I see... and what did you see?"

  
"Well, it's a bit hard to explain to someone who can't see it. I can see code though, among other things like magic, how it flows and such."

  
"O-oh... I didn't know that was possible." 

  
"It is for me. Anyway, I think I have figured out how it was possible."

"How?"

 

  
"It seems you have created your own semblance of a soul without actually having a soul in the sense that you're used to."  
  
"What do you mean? I mean, it should be impossible right?"

  
"Ink,  _I_  am impossibility. I'm a human from a world where magic doesn't exist and yet here I am in a world full of it AND I have cheated death not once but twice and now I'm a skeleton monster. Does any of that sound possible to you?" He shook his head.

  
"I'm not sure the effect of the word "impossible" exists in the multiverses because of magic." He wasn't sure what to say to that, she went on after a moment.

  
"When you tore at your soul, you destroyed its physical representation here in the multiverse and made yourself less vulnerable in fights. It seems you didn't so much destroy your soul as you did shatter it into you, forcing it to slowly find a new form. This is why you can feel without the paint now. You HAVE a soul... it's form is just different. It's now more like how souls were thought to be in my world... an incorporeal version of you."  
"Uh..."

  
"In other words, if it could come out and take shape, it would come out as a sort of transparent copy of you."

  
"So... what you're saying is... I do have a soul...." He seemed floored by this revelation. 

  
"Yeah, it's just not susceptible to most magic here." Ink was silent as he processed this information and what it could mean for him. What it DID mean for him. 


	9. A Creator's Story

"How do you know all this? I mean... I've spent so much time traveling the multiverse and I even created some of these places... I don't understand. How can you know everything about the places you visit? About me? Error?" 

  
"Ah, well I have to correct you a bit there. I  _don't_  know everything about the places I go to. In fact, I'm constantly discovering new places. Even though this AU that you are in now is younger than you, it was a product of my own hand."

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Before I came to be here in the multiverse, I was just another human. In a universe beyond the reach of anyone here. A place that cannot be reached by magic because it has none. There is no thread to connect to it and even technology has no way of breaching that gap."

  
" _Human?!"_

  
"Yes, I know it's hard to believe. My story is a bit of a long one, perhaps I will tell you some time, but for now it's not important. The world I came from, however, is. The world I once called home is where everything started. It's where the Alpha Timeline was born. Its Creator is there. I was born into that world and I saw many things. Including your birth, Ink, as you were made to be. I knew as much as your Creator gave me in terms of information via a media source on the Internet." 

  
"I ... see. So... I'm not... real?" 

  
"In my world, no. Like I said, it has no magic. Anything there that is "magic" is nothing more than illusion, slight of hand... tricks. There is no real magic there. The only type of power that exists, exists in a plane that the material world cannot reach. One that is blocked off to many, but was open to me, for whatever reason."

  
"What sort of power?" 

  
"Soul power. The details of that aren't important."

  
"But I want to know more." 

  
"I'm sure you do, but I'll explain it when I tell you my story, alright?" He sighed and nodded.

  
  
"I learned a great deal about the multiverse, about the AUs and then there was something I came to realize. There was more than one multiverse."   
"How did you discover that? I didn't even realize that." 

  
"It happened quite by accident. I realized it when I ran into someone who would be a friend and her partner, who was another version of you. He was quite young in experience in comparison to me and Inky -"

  
"Inky?"

  
"It's the name the version of you I met was using. I am not sure why, but he prefers that name as much to distinguish himself from other Inks as because he was one of the first."

  
"How many are there?"

  
"For sure? Who knows, but I have found at least 39 different variants."

  
"Th-thirty.... nine... oh stars!" 

  
"Yes, of course this means that I have found that many multiverses. There are countless others, no doubt, that I have probably not seen because I am limited as to where I go. I am only one. I am one of a kind. I am the only immortal Creator who has traversed the multiverses. Though there have been other Creators here." Ink paled.

  
"Th-there have?" 

  
"Yes... and sadly not all of them are very nice. I have had the ... misfortune... of dealing with such."

  
"You said you were... immortal?"

  
"Yes, this is from experience. As long as I do not wish to die I am out of death's reach. Many have tried. All have failed."

  
"I s-see..."

  
"I know what you're likely thinking. You're thinking I could be a threat one day." Ink slowly nods.

  
  
"The truth is... I have already been down that path. I know where it leads and just what I am truly capable of." Ink stared, his pupils all but disappearing.

  
"I promise to explain when I tell you my story, but it doesn't start as a very happy one. My story is not for the feint of heart. You need not worry that I will ever do that again though. There are too many reasons not to. I also would be breaking the oath I took, if I did. I've already broken that once. I have no wish to do so again. It has taken me a considerable amount of time to redeem myself in the eyes of those who were there when I first took the oath."

  
"This oath... what are you talking about?"

  
"Heh, well, it's something you will have to discover for yourself if you do not know of it already." 

  
"Can't you just tell me?" 

  
"I could, but that might be telling. You see, I know a lot more than I should. Past, present, future. I must take great care in what I part with in terms of what I know. I should not interfere more than necessary in any multiverse that is not my own." 

  
"You said you created this AU?" 

  
"Yes, when I was a human I began to build this world; I came into it sometime after I was dropped from the Alpha Timeline. Do not ask how because I am not sure. Whatever forces brought me to the multiverse in the first place is responsible for that. It is one of the few things I cannot explain about myself." 

  
"Alright then."

  
For a long time, Ink was silent as he absorbed all that he had just learned; not just about Aria, but about Error and himself. 

  
"Aria."

  
"Hmm?"

  
"If you know so much about us... then you have been to our multiverse more than once, haven't you?"

  
"Well, yes. For a variety of reasons. The latest reason was because of your attacker." 

  
"You know him?"

  
"He's my son." Ink was shocked for the third time since he had met this enigmatic being."

  
"I... I'm so sorry." 

  
"So am I, but some day... I will save him from the evil that has invaded him. The evil that took my son from me was from an outside influence." 

  
"I see... I'm sorry to hear that."  She nods a little.

  
"I and the rest of his family will not stop until he's back where he belongs. With us." 

  
"If you ever need my help. Don't hesitate to call." 

  
"... Thank you, Ink."

  
"For?" 

  
"You can't possibly imagine how much it means to me that you are willing to fight with me, even knowing what you do." 

  
"Of course! We have to stick together to protect the AUs!" Her eye lights seemed to brighten, as if she was smiling beneath the hood.

  
"Why do you have your hood up all the time?" 

  
"A habit. Mostly to keep others from knowing the true me, and for good reason."

  
"I'm guessing there's a story behind that."

  
"Yes, but for another time. You look like you have something else on your mind."

  
  
"Yes. With all that you know... you knew this would happen to us. Didn't you?" 

  
"No. I knew it was a possibility, I did not know it was an inevitability. Many of the versions I have seen of you two... have been together or have been fierce enemies. There is one constant across the multiverses, however."

  
"And that is?"

  
"Regardless of what is in them.... you two are always there... balancing it. One cannot exist without the other." Ink blinked then began to laugh.  
"I'm going to guess you don't believe that."

  
"Heh... well, I'm sure there are plenty of places that would disagree with you. I mean, while I wouldn't say I could do without Error I could sure do without him doing his job!"

  
"Oh? Do you really not understand?"

  
"Understand what?"

  
"Your roles." 

  
"Of course I do! It's my job to protect the AUs from threats like Nightmare and Error!" 

  
"Error is not a threat to the multiverse." 


	10. Chapter 10

He knew the moment he returned. How could he not when the strings that were everywhere here were suddenly, and temporarily, distorted? That only happened when someone opened a portal here. He hadn't done so and he was sure that naive fool known as Dream didn't know where his Anti-Void area was so of course he wouldn't come here. That only left Ink. 

  
"Error?" Ink called out for him, but the other didn't twitch. He wasn't Ink's lapdog. He wasn't his friend. They were enemies... sort of. So why should he make an appearance for that rainbow asshole? What was he even doing here? He would have thought Ink would never come back to this part of the Anti-Void. Sure, he had helped Ink out that ONE time, but that was it. He'd gone back to doing his job of destroying AUs... or would have if he'd felt up to it. Thing was, he really didn't feel up to it. He usually watched them or hung out in Outertale, but he wasn't interested in that either and he wasn't entirely sure why. So he'd been here the entire time. Staring at his vast collection of puppets of all the other Sans that he had. Each one was from an AU that he hadn't destroyed for one reason or another. He even had one of Classic.... the  **true**  Sans. The only one who should exist...  

"Error?! Are you here?!" Error almost scoffed. Didn't he ever give up? Oh wait, no, there was no way that would ever happen. Ink was too stubborn for that. Maybe if he just pretended he wasn't here then Ink would just go away and leave him alone. There was silence. Error hoped that meant that Ink had left... No such luck. He glanced through a tangle to see that the artist had simply sat down now and seemed to be waiting.  _What is that idiot doing?!_  This didn't seem like the Ink he knew. Ink was... always on the move, always doing something... never one to sit still in the Anti-Void if he could help it and Error didn't really blame him there as they both hated the Anti-Void for their own reasons. It was just a little weird though that they had spent so much time alone without running into one another... but then again, the Anti-Void was pretty vast. 

  
  
He stared down at Ink, watching him. The artist pulled out a sketchbook. This surprised Error. He had NEVER done that before. Then again, each time they had met - prior to the day that Ink had been sent hurling into his part of the Anti-Void - had been when they had been fighting. He twisted a little to watch as Ink seemed to doodle in the book. It wasn't clear what he was sketching though and Error tried to ignore that he couldn't see what the artist was drawing. He couldn't exactly help but be curious though as to what it was Ink was doing. He watched as the other's hand moved delicately with swift and sure strokes and then with shorter ones and after a while it became clear that Ink had finished the drawing and was making notes to go with it. Error let his mind drift a little. What was it that he was writing? What would it look like if he could read it? Would it be in small, short print like the childish tenancies he'd often seen in his foe when he'd interacted with other AUs or would it be flamboyant with a flourish that echoed the artist's artistic nature and pride in his creations?

He watched the artist as the end of the pencil he was using was suddenly pressed against his mouth. Error felt his cheeks heat as he suddenly found himself envious of the end of that pencil... Why by the Creator was he thinking such ridiculous things! He had no reason to fantasize about such liberties with his... with Ink. Why was it that the sad look Ink had given him forever ago was haunting him? Why did the thought of seeing Ink's eyelights be white make him feel hurt? He didn't understand any of this. Not. One. Bit. There was no logic to it! Stars but this was beyond any sort of logic. His eyelights didn't leave the artist, however. He watched as Ink closed the sketchbook and just sat there. He waited to see if Ink would leave now, but the artist didn't. Ink didn't leave. 

  
  
He didn't show any signs of it, instead, he stretched out and Error's sockets widened as the artist closed his eyes and seemed to just doze off. Like he was completely at home. Error watched for a long time, silent. He then slowly dropped to the "floor" of the Anti-Void. Not that there was actually a floor. It was just some possibility that the Anti-Void seemed to humor them with. He moved over to Ink, fingers twitching. It would be so easy to snap his neck. Ink was completely vulnerable. The artist seemed to be completely unaware of the danger he was putting himself in.   
"R-reckless a-a-asshole." Error muttered under his breath. Ink didn't so much as stir. Error moved over to him, kneeling next to the sleeping figure. It would be so easy to... end it. End their fights. No one to stop him, no one to see that the AUs didn't die like they were supposed to. It was so very tempting.

Error was never really one to resist temptation when it come to Ink. It was too easy. Just a few moments and it would all be over, he was certain. He considered it as his hand began to reach for the artist's throat. No more of the ridiculous feelings that had overcome him moments before. No more confusion for him. No more dealing with someone who didn't understand him, who defended the "glitches" as if they were important. As if they were supposed to be there the entire time. No one to endlessly annoy, no one who would need his help, no one who would look at him like he wasn't insane. He hesitated, his hand over Ink's throat hesitated before his resolve came back. It didn't matter, he didn't matter; so none of this would matter in the end. His hand slowly moved forward and encircled the white throat, enveloping the white bones easily.


	11. Contact

The grip around the other's throat came easy, but the actual touch was so very light; as if he were afraid of waking the other... It had been so long since he had gotten so close to another living, breathing thing like this. To not mean them harm. Error stared at the prone figure, fingers traveling dipping beneath the heavy material of the scarf; he could see the barest hint of something that seemed to etch into the bones themselves. He knew what he was looking at, Aria had explained it. Markings left by the Void when he had traveled through it before landing in the Anti-Void. He traced one and froze as Ink stirred a little. He felt his face heat up, but it seemed that the light touch was not enough to rouse the sleeping artist. Error felt as if he should hold his breath even as he dared venture further, the white and black bones not so unlike his own and Error began to wonder things he had never thought of before. He knew Ink hid the markings for a reason, but he did not know what that reason was. Was the artist ashamed of them? Come to think of it, he realized very little bone was exposed by the outfit that the other wore.

Error shifted, his fingers gently tugging at one sleeve only to find more of the markings and it became clear suddenly to him that Ink indeed was trying to hide them. Each piece of his clothing hid the markings. Why? He absently trailed his fingers along the other's cheekbone without much thought and nearly leapt back when he realized that Ink was nuzzling into the palm of his hand. He quickly looked over to find that the other was still asleep. It seemed that, even in sleep, the artist could affect him much more than any other... and in ways he wish that Ink wouldn't... couldn't. They were supposed to be enemies... weren't they? Had they not been made to fight? To clash again and again? He pulled back his hand as he thought back to the words Aria had spoken of during their battle. She had mentioned balance. What had that meant? Balance to what? Power? A higher purpose? It didn't seem to make too much sense on its own. She had said they were two sides to a coin. That meant that they were part of a whole, that he was one side and Ink was the other... The concept of Yin and Yang. It wasn't a foreign concept to him; it was, however, one he had never really applied to himself or Ink.

 

He lightly fit his fingers between that of the artist's in one hand; he wasn't really even aware of what he was doing anymore, his eyes locked on his own hand in deep thought. Ink created things, brought about life and often sought to bring about happiness to others and spoke about protecting them. He, on the other hand, was the near opposite. He destroyed lives, destroyed the AUs and he went against everything that Ink stood for. It seemed to him that she was right about at least one thing. Ink was everything he wasn't and... everything he had once dreamed of. He jolted back at this self revelation. He... Error... wanted to ... be like Ink? He shook his head. He must be out of his skull! To think that he wanted to create... no, that wasn't it... he envied Ink for the happiness he seemed to have. The friends he had managed to make despite all of the times he had failed to do something against Error or how many mistakes he had made with the AUs. Error had LOVE... but he didn't want it. He wanted... love. He stood up as he began shaking. No matter what he had done, the artist had come back. He had.... even after all the times he had beat Ink to an inch of his existence... had hurt his friends... destroyed lives... destroyed that brush... Ink STILL was trying to be his... friend.

One hand curled into his eye socket as he began to back away from the sleeping form. What... what was going on?! Why did Ink keep coming back?! Why had he wanted to touch him?! He hated being touched and yet.. he felt he had needed to run his hands over the sleeping form. He felt... No... it wasn't enough... he wanted more... He wanted to see just how far those tattoos went... whether they really did cover all of Ink's bones... he wanted to see for himself the empty rib cage where Ink should have a soul... to run his phalanges over every bit... to discover what really made this skeleton the way he was. To... feel that resonation... his soul thudded harshly in his chest even as he backed away further. He shouldn't want this. He couldn't ... with Ink... No..... no no no no no! This wasn't how things were supposed to be! They were supposed to be enemies! The two of them were supposed to be fighting one another not... not this. Was he more insane than usual to be picturing the two of them sitting together, sharing the stars in Outertale or tossing snow at one another in Snowdin... He felt his soul thud painfully in his rib cage at the thought. He had never wanted anything like this before, certainly not to the degree he wanted this either. In all of his existence, he could not remember wanting something more. Before the artist could wake he retreated back into the tangled nest of strings above. He couldn't face Ink.

  
It didn't make any sense to the other skeleton why he was feeling like a scared child. He should be able to easily face his old foe like the grown adult he was but... somehow the thought made him feel like he was a babybones who had been spooked by an older sibling with a scary story. What was it that he was afraid of? He could not recall a time where he was actually afraid of anything; no matter what the AU happened to have in it. There were plenty AUs that had things in them that would scare any human, but he was not a human nor was any part of him like a human that he would admit to. As he watched the artist from his haven, out of sight, something else had come to mind. Hadn't he once told Ink that if they continued to fight... if Ink continued to fight him and all he wished to do, that they would go to war? Ink, of course, had seemed to ignore the warning and all that came with it. Yes, the two of them had been fighting for about as long as Error could remember and he had said something along the lines and thus when Ink had interfered yet  **again**  after the warning, Error had resigned to himself that Ink would be his enemy.

That the two of them were destined to fight in an never-ending battle, one that looped so long as there were those who enjoyed creating. He had learned through trial and error that Ink couldn't simply be stopped as Error had stopped others. Ink had been a thorn in his side and now, Error thought with a bitter laugh, the asshole was now more than that as he felt his soul tremble. He stared down at Ink, he ached to return to his side. Everything he was feeling right now was completely foreign. He knew he should hate Ink, like he had before. No... that wasn't entirely right. He thought over all their encounters. He hadn't really hated the artist. Sure he was a pain in the ass... and an asshole sometimes when it came to humor, but Error actually liked that about him. He had seen the pranks Ink had pulled and he had to admit, to himself if never EVER aloud... that Ink was... good.

 

When the artist actually stopped to create something in that sketchbook of his, he did so with a talent that would make angels weep. Maybe some of the stuff hadn't started out that way, or maybe Error just hadn't noticed in the beginning because he was too busy fighting Ink, but the truth was he knew Ink had talent though he'd string his own soul up first before he ever admitted it. A barely audible sigh escaped him. What was he to do? He couldn't face Ink as the mess he'd become. He retreated further as he felt a stirring he hadn't felt in a  **very**  long time. No no no no... he couldn't .... not with Ink here! He opened a portal to a random AU and dropped into it. Muttering a quiet curse as he got tangled a bit in his own strings on the way.


	12. Different

Ink woke slowly, something was on the edge of his conscious mind; he wasn't sure what it was but he liked the feeling. There was a soft ruffling sound and he sighed as he felt the air against his bare neck bones, only to have that air replaced by heat and something... else. It sparked a feeling of electricity in him and he shivered from it. His breath hitched as he felt a hand run along his spine through the shirt... then skim beneath it. Ink wasn't sure what entirely was going on here but he liked it. He liked it a lot and he felt a heat swell in him; he wanted more. He wanted to feel that heat on all of his bones. His sockets slid open a little when he felt the heat leave his neck and he stared up into the mismatched eyes.  
"Error..." He breathed, the other smiled and moved to kiss him. Ink leaned up, eyes closing again, to meet...   
  
Air.   
  
Ink sat up groggily, confused. He looked around only to find himself alone. He shivered as he realized it had just been a dream. A dream. Ink felt his cheeks heat. He had been dreaming about Error.... Oh stars. He shifted his scarf and glanced around, but there didn't seem to be any sign of Error. Was he still out? Should he search the AUs for him? No, he had come back here for a reason. He wondered if Error would show himself if he tugged on one of the strings... He knew Error could sense things through his strings, among other things of course. He didn't know everything about Error though. He went over to the nearest string, his hand reaching out but he hesitated. His cheeks still burning with heat from the dream. 

  
"M-maybe I should wait a bit until..." He mumbled to himself. Ink was no stranger to going into heat. It had happened to him once or twice that he could remember and it happened to all skeletons. He wasn't  _entirely_  sure if it did actually happen to all skeletons though. He knew it had happened to him and many of those he knew. What if.... what if that was the reason he hadn't seen or heard from Error? He wondered, would Error do what many AU Sanses did and go to Underlust? He knew it was an AU with a nasty reputation because of... well, obviously because of that. Yet every Sans he knew had sought it out at one time or another during heat. The thing about a skeleton going into heat was that for every skeleton it was different; rather, for every universe it seemed to differ.   
  
There were sometimes rules that governed heats, the only consistency that Ink knew of was that there were two types of heat and that heat was something one couldn't deny for long. Dominant and Submissive, often known as dom-heat and sub-heat. Dominant heats, of course, meant that the skeleton was looking for someone to.... take, whereas submissive heats meant that the skeleton wanted someone to take them. It was a survival mechanism that had kept their species of monster alive for many generations because even before the war with humans, skeleton monsters had been feared and many deaths before the war itself were often among their specie of monster. Humans saw skeletons as a reminder of their own mortality, a symbol of death itself, and thus feared and hated them. Ink shook away his thoughts on the matter as he looked at the blue string that was mere inches away from his fingertips; if Error was experiencing heat then touching the string should tell him, its magic would tell him what type of heat it was too.

That just made him hesitate all the more to touch the magical string; he didn't want to irritate the other skeleton further if it was a dom-heat but if it was a sub-heat then the skeleton would likely come running like a dog.... Was he prepared to handle that? Those who were in sub-heat often were very seductive and would do  **anything**  to get the closest potential partner to... participate. Ink gulped. Well, he had faced worse. He ran his fingers lightly along the string. Its magic tingled over his fingertips and Ink let out a breath in relief. There was no sign of either heat in the bit of magic that sparked in reaction to his touch. 

  
  
He also felt... disappointed?! What the heck? He shoved that down before his thoughts returned to the dream he'd had. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself any more than he already had. It was bad enough he'd found himself just dreaming of Error in any capacity besides their usual fights. He was pretty sure he knew what had prompted the dream though; he owed Error his life. The other skeleton, he knew, could have wiped him from existence, but instead of doing so he had taken him in; cared for him, bandaged his wounds and even had made sure that his brush was whole again. In truth, he'd been acting... not like himself. Ink had asked him why, but Error had not offered any answer and now that he thought about it, he hadn't thought to question Aria about if she knew why Error would do something so out of character all of the sudden. After countless battles, many of which had exhausted them both and often left Ink near his demise... there was no reason or sign that Error would suddenly have a change of heart like that. There was no clear reason for the other skeleton to do what he had done. 


	13. Calling

Error sighed. Of all the annoying glitches he would have to run into .... of all the possible worlds, he just  **had** to fall into this one. Flowerfell. Of  _course_  when he had landed it had been right next to that whining crybaby who was lamenting over the gravestone of his human... He swore that if there were any AU gods, they had it out for him today. The other knew who he was and had nearly took his head off with a bone. Not like he'd cared too much, he preferred to fight anyway over listening to the other whine about how much he missed his human... but that was on a normal day. Today was anything but. He had fallen into the portal because he'd begun to feel  _heat_  just from looking at what humans would call his "mortal enemy." Wasn't that a laugh? The greatest threat to the existence of the multiverse wanted to get with the only one who had enough guts and power to stop him. Great. Now he was making puns in his own head. What next? The other dodged his strings and sent bones his way for the umpth time. Didn't this guy get that he couldn't match him? Everything seemed to slow for a moment, he felt something twinge... someone had touched one of his strings and he had a good idea he knew who that someone was. Crap. He knew he could leave but then he -  A wall slammed between the two of them. With a growl he leapt back and saw her. It was that pest of a protector again. Aria.

  
  
"DoN'T interf-f-fere!" He snapped.

  
"Get over it Error and leave Flower alone." 

  
"i was wondering if you were nearby still." Still? Double crap. That means this glitch knew her. They'd work together against him.

  
"You know I come here to pay my respects every day Flower, but I admit I linger longer than I should." 

  
"what's this about?" 

  
"He's frustrated. Let me handle him."

  
"yeah. sure." 

  
"NGGGGGHHH! You peSt!"

  
"Error." Silence fell between them, but unlike what he expected, she didn't attack him. She didn't press the fight, instead the wall disappeared. A soft breeze flowed around them.

  
"W... what i-is that you w-want fRom m-me?!"

  
"Nothing. I wish only to help you. I can see your struggle right now. You think so little of the ties that bind you to him. You want to laugh because you think it's so ridiculous that, of all the souls out there who could have called to you it is  **his**  lack of one that intrigues you. That pulls you in. After all, it doesn't make any sense does it?"

  
"W-what doesn't?" 

  
"That someone who is devoid of a soul, who relies on emotions tied to bottles of paint, should be tied to you. The one who feels that everything that is created except one thread, must be destroyed. You feel hatred, anger, disgust... but you are not the embodiment of only those emotions. You are, and always will be, deep inside of yourself, Sans. A monster who had so much and lost it all in a single blink of an eye."

  
"D-don't call mE thaT!"

  
 "Why? Because it hurts? Because you don't feel like it suits you anymore?" He snorted.

  
  
"Error, that was the name you chose for yourself because you believed you had no purpose anymore once you were lost to the world you once knew. You made yourself the destroyer of worlds. You have chosen your path and your name, but that doesn't mean that's who you truly are."

  
"Tch. W-what would you know?" 

  
"My name, Aria. Like you it is not my true name." He stared. It wasn't?

  
"I chose that name for myself when I came to the multiverse. An aria is a type of song. I chose it because it was a reminder of a song I love dearly. A song that sings of two sides of a coin... a lover and a hater... light and darkness... a battle as old as time itself. Error, you and Ink have each chosen your own path, different from one another but at the same time... inside... you're always who you began as. You are both a Sans. You always have been. Always will be. You can continue on as you always have... could have, but..."

  
"B-but whAt?"

  
"You made a choice for the both of you that diverted the paths you had originally decided to follow. You took the first step to being a friend by showing Ink mercy instead of destroying him. Don't run from your choice, Error. Follow the string of fate that you have tugged on and let who you truly are guide you." He growled and took a step forward but she simply smiled, took a step back and vanished.

  
"Ugh! C-curse that w-w-woman!" He felt it again. The same, gentle sensation along one of his strings and he closed his sockets a moment. Ink was calling him. Why? It wasn't an urgent tug or insistent, it was cautious, almost hesitant and so gentle... so very gentle. When was the last time he had allowed himself to feel the embrace of someone? Why was he scared of contact?  _Because you're afraid of losing someone again... afraid that physical contact will make you want to cling to them and not let go ever again..._ It wasn't his own thoughts. No. Scratch that. It was something inside of him, a voice that he once had known but had seemed to have forgotten. He took a step forward as the portal opened and found himself back in the Anti-Void.


	14. Change

Ink was fiddling with the fur on the jacket when the portal opened and Error stepped out. He realized, the moment he saw the other that he had no idea what he was going to say.  _Cripes._  He took in the appearance of the other, it looked like he'd been some sort of scuffle with the way that one part of the jacket hung off the edge of one shoulder and there was dirt all over the slippers he wore. Not that dirt was easy to see on black slippers, but it was pretty visible against the dark red bones. Ink felt concern rush through him even though it didn't look like the other was hurt.  _Am I really that much of a softie that just seeing him a little dis-shoveled makes me worry for him?_ Ink normally would have laughed at the notion, and maybe had it been any other time before he certainly might have, but now the notion struck a cord in him and made him question things.

   
"W-what do you WanT?" Ink realized they'd been standing there in silence for a while and Ink hadn't said a word. Well, no time like the present right?

  
"To talk."

  
"Ugh. F-fine." Really? Error wasn't usually one to talk so easily, normally he put up a fight. Literally. The notion of the two of them sitting down together and just talking... like friends, made that feeling inside him, the one that made no sense, just squeeze at him. Ink sat down and waited to see if Error would too. The other rolled his eyelights and a few strings fell at his command; much like a hammock, he then lay down in them, looking over at Ink like the artist had said something to offend him. 

  
  
"You haven't been yourself. I'm worried." Error stared a moment then starting laughing. It was a sound that was interrupted by distortion every now and then but Ink found he liked the sound of it regardless. It was... uniquely Error's laugh and there was actually something in it that kept him from taking offense. There was no mockery in it. Not like usual. It made for a nice change really. Eventually the laughter died down.

  
"N-not myself? I n-nearly dusted F-flowerfell and you thinK i'm n-not myseLf." 

  
"What stopped you?" 

  
"MoRe like w-who."

  
"Oh." So that strange woman, Aria, was still around? Ink wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. On one hand, it meant he could find her and ask her a lot of things, on the other hand, however, it meant that the stranger he'd tried helping was still around as well. The one who had attacked him.

  
"I-Ink." The artist had been staring off in thought and looked over at the sound of his name.

  
"T-this new thr-reat. It's n-not like m-me. It w-wants others to h-hurt. To suffer. Even if it d-destroyed the other A-AUs it w-wouldn't st-stop there."

  
"I figured not."

  
"I'm n-not usually one for t-this sort of thinG, but... i prOpoSe a tRuce."

  
"A truce?" 

  
"B-between us. At leAst until the THreat has b-been elimInatEd." Ink was silent. He had other burning questions, ones that were about Error himself and not the enemy.

  
"Agreed." He held out his hand to Error and was surprised when the other skeleton shifted and grasped his hand firmly. Perhaps the shock was written on his face because he saw Error's grin widen even as he let go of Ink's hand. 

  
  
"I... uh.. thought you hated contact." 

  
"D-doesn't mean i can't d-do it when neceSsary." Ink felt his cheekbones warm because his mind had then decided just then to remind him of the dream he'd had. He glanced away quickly. This was getting awkward now and he hadn't asked his questions yet.

  
"Error... I uh... h-had a few questions for you." Error stared. Was Ink blushing?! He put a hand to his teeth as he watched the other skeleton seem to flounder. He had never seen the artist uncertain like this and it was kind of cute. Wait, cute? Where had THAT come from?! He shook the notion aside as he waited for the other to start talking again. What could have caused that kind of reaction? He'd seen Ink do a LOT of things, but blushing was not one of them... not until now. He'd no idea the other could. Well, it made sense he could after all Ink was just the same as he was in terms of the physical right? Well, aside from the markings the other seemed to be hiding that were on his bones; the ones Aria had told him were from the Void though Ink would deny that. He wondered then if the other was ashamed of them, a question that had appeared in his mind earlier before and if Ink was... why or if he wasn't ashamed of them then why hide them away like that? He shook the thoughts away, still waiting for the other to speak. He was trying not to think about the revelation that had come to him earlier before; about his jealousy towards the artist who was struggling with a few simple questions. It took him a moment to realize why. The artist seemed to be staring at him now. He felt his soul resonating. Dang it! At a time like this?! He couldn't... He felt a bit of heat rise to his cheeks and could only watch as Ink's mouth seemed to drop open a little, but no sound came forth. Could he... could Ink FEEL it too?!? Even without a soul did he... somehow... feel the resonation? Was that even possible?!? 

  
"Error... I..." Error didn't say a word, but he saw the light flash of colors along Ink's cheekbones seem to suddenly become more vivid against the white bone.

  
  
He knew he really must be out of his skull because right now his mind was giving him all sorts of ideas of what he should be doing right now. None of it made a lick of sense. None of it had anything to do with anything that had come before, as if all the fighting they had always done didn't mean a thing or had been done by someone else. His mind still rang with the strange words Aria had offered him moments ago. She knew. Dag blast it she knew what he was frustrated about! This entire time. _that smug son of a snake! she knew this would happen! i swear to Asgore the next time we meet i'm going to give her a what for!_  She had been right though, it didn't make sense at all that the one soul his soul cried out for, resonated with... was a being who didn't even have a soul. It should be impossible that the other could feel the resonation, but he knew Ink could. This had happened before. The fact that it happened more than once was incredible in and of itself; usually resonations only happened once in a meeting, but this was twice now and this resonation was stronger than the first.

  
"T-this is imPossiBle! Y-you d-don't have a soul...."

  
"Well, that's not entirely accurate." Error stared and after a moment, Ink told Error what Aria had told him about his soul having a new form; something that was different from what most expected but it was still in him. That it had taken a long time to settle into its new form and because of it he'd not been able to feel anything on his own without the help of the vials for a long time. 

  
"So t-then you don't n-need them?" 

  
"Not really, no. I mean, they do help boost my power of creativity because that's what they are essentially, different forms of pure creativity, but I don't need them to survive. Just... it became a habit, ya know?" Error did know. Just like how he'd taken to creating puppets to be his company before he'd stolen Blue away only to have him rescued from his grasp by Ink. Now, it seemed, the one who had become his company was Ink. For the first time in.... a very long time. Error didn't feel the violent tenancies he used to. He had no wish to hurt Ink, in fact, he wanted.... dare he say it.... friendship? No, that wasn't going to be good enough. He wanted...    


	15. Confession

Ink didn't say anything else, he was still too embarrassed by the feelings the resonation had invoked. He'd never wanted anything more than how strongly he had wanted to throw caution to the wind and tackle the other skeleton, pulling him close and showing him just how things could be between them. He knew that wasn't a smart thing to do though, Error didn't like touch and wouldn't appreciate something like that. The two just sort of stared at each other, neither one really knowing what to say. Even after explaining the whole soul thing, there was still a feeling of not-quite-awkwardness between the two of them. After a long time of just sort of staring at one another, or what seemed like it, the silence was broken.

  
"Error... I... don't know what to say or where to even really begin. I've always hoped we could be... friends, but it had never occurred to me until recently to think of you as... well.... Anything else."

  
"I-it wasn't my imagina-ation then. You d-did feel it."

  
"Yeah. I did." There was a long stretch of silence.

  
"D-damn.... n-never thought she'd b-b-be right." 

  
"Who?"

  
"T-that c-cloaked w-w-witch." 

  
"I can't say I don't agree. I mean, I've heard the saying that everyone has someone special in their life at least once but you and me?" Error seemed to chuckle.

  
"Not that I'm complaining. What do you think that was anyway? That feeling? I mean... it's not what I think it is... is it?" 

  
"I-i-i-it should be i-impossible f-f-for you to f-feel. S-since you don't h-have a s-s-soul."

  
"So then... that was ... soul resonation?" Error nods. As Ink thought about it and what he knew about it, he knew Error was right. There shouldn't be any way he should feel it if he didn't have a soul, and yet.... he had.

  
  
"How is that possible then?" Error shrugged. The two just stood there, staring at one another. They had been fighting for... well, who knows how long? At least from the first moment they had met. Error had done everything he could to thwart and dust Ink. Not that he'd ever really succeeded in getting rid of Ink like he had AUs. They had been at odds for so long that it was almost second nature and yet... Error knew that not once had Ink ever purposely tried to end him. Ever the optimist, Ink had tried to be friends; tried to talk him out of his destructive ways time and time again... never seeming to falter. While he'd not give voice to it, Error had a bit of a grudging respect for the artist's tenacity. Even if it was annoying and the other could be obnoxious in the way he made those comments that seemed to put off others and make him seem like a total jerk... The way he tried to blend in with the others and make friends... like he had a right to.

The other's arrogance ticked him off to no end... and at the same time... he felt like he couldn't help but admire it to some degree. Ink was his near opposite in terms of what they did, Error had assumed them to be enemies. That they were meant to fight one another until the end of the multiverse came. The longer he stared back at the artist, however, the more he began to wonder if that hadn't been just some big joke. That there was something... more to the dynamics between them. When had he come to start expecting Ink to show up every time he went after an AU? Was it right after they had first fought? No, that didn't seem right.

  
Was it the battle in UnderSwap? That didn't quite seem right either.... but he hadn't been surprised when the artist had interfered. Not that there was much of UnderSwap left as it was inhabited only by a very small collection of monsters; he'd nearly succeeded in destroying it. He shook the thoughts of that one away. What exactly was it that the other expected of him now? There was one truth that stood before them now. A soul resonation was not something to be ignored. 

  
  
Ink wondered if Error would say anything more. He couldn't really read his counterpart, but he could tell he seemed to be off in thought. A soul resonation was not something that should be possible for him and yet... it had happened. He had felt Error's soul call out to him and... somehow... beyond all logic... something in him had answered. He felt uncertain, almost out of place. An impossible thing had occurred. Now what though? Error was certainly not one to simply change his mind on the spot for something. Even something like this wasn't likely to change his mind about Ink. 

  
"Maybe this is a start." He caught them both off guard by speaking.

  
"T-to what?" 

  
"Well... as much as I hate seeing the AUs destroyed, at the same time... some destruction is needed. I mean, it's sort of the balance in nature... like death following life. The way I see it, aren't we just two separate parts of a whole? I mean, that would explain everything wouldn't it? There's a little bit in both of us... I might create things, sure, but I can also destroy." 

  
"..." There was a long silence between them then.

  
"W-why? Why do you c-continue to c-create?" 

  
"Because it makes me happy. I want to share what I have with others, but to do so I have to have them around first... it..." He looked away as he realized he was going to confess something he hadn't told anyone before.

  
"It fills that v-void... the emptiness of being alone..." He glanced over again, going on before Error could even really process what had been said.

  
"I don't understand completely why you destroy, I mean I get the purpose of it... but aren't you lonely? Don't you want friends to share things with? Maybe... even have ... a family?" He expected Error to laugh, to mock him as usual, but he was met with silence. A silence that gave him hope that maybe Error wasn't the hopeless cause everyone said he was. That there was still something in him that remained untouched by the insanity that had become his life.


	16. Embrace

"B-because we shouLDn't exist." 

  
"Excuse me?" 

  
"You w-wanted to know why I de-de-destroy right?" Ink was silent, this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with Error that hadn't ended with one of them attacking the other. He did want to know, so he didn't interrupt.

  
"W-we aren't meant to e-exist. Only the o-originals are meant to b-be. W-we are p-poor imitations. C-c-copies of an i-ideal world." He seemed to pause a moment before going on. "You k-know, don't you? A-a-about what hap-hapened to mE." Ink nodded, confirming what he had only suspected before when Ink had been laying in his lap, injured, and had looked up at him with the saddest expression he had ever seen from the artist. "I b-barely rememBer what it's l-like to be h-happy. To have f-f-friends." Another moment of silence, Ink still said nothing. "I t-thought no one elSe lived h-here until I mEt y-you. And w-we had our f-first fight." 

  
"I remember, a bit anyways." 

  
  
Ink didn't remember what AU it had been. When exactly it was he had first seen Error or even what exactly it was that they had fought about. He didn't remember who started the fight, though he had assumed it was Error... there was no real proof of that honestly and with all he knew now... Maybe Error hadn't started that first fight. Maybe HE had been the one who had begun their feud. The artist hadn't considered that before, in fact, before now he would have laughed at the very notion of the thought, but now.... Well, maybe it wasn't so far from the truth? He didn't remember and if Error did remember he wasn't exactly forthcoming with the information about that time. He wasn't even going into details really as far as Ink could tell. Then again, Error had never really been the type had he? He never explained anything. Not about himself, not about what he did or why. So then... why now? The question burned into his mind and was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't dare ask for the moment. He wanted to hear what Error had to say. He wasn't sure he'd ever get another opportunity to hear Error's side of things. To better understand his... adversary? Well, they weren't exactly enemies anymore, and calling them rivals wouldn't really be correct since they weren't after the same thing... So, what did that make them? He filed that question away for later as well as his other question. He hoped he'd remember.

  
  
"F-from then oN w-we were e-enemies. S-so I thought. You s-still think we can bE frienDs? W-why?" 

  
"Why not? Everyone deserves to have someone." The response was automatic and not one that Error had exactly been anticipating.

  
"T-that's ridiCuloUs."

  
"Is it? For as far back as I can remember... I've always wanted someone to share things with. Someone I could really connect to, you know? Sure Blue and the others are great, but... at the end of the day, they just don't understand. The pressure, the responsibility... sometimes I wonder is-"

  
"It w-worth it?" The two said at once. There was a long moment of silence between them; something had clicked. In that moment, despite their differences, the two had the same thought. They stared at one another, the silence wasn't one that was oppressive or ominous, it was... pleasant in a way. There was a feeling that seemed to wash over the artist and he simply relaxed in response to it. Error seemed fascinated by the effect it had on Ink... or would have been if he hadn't been so darned confused by feeling it himself. He couldn't recall feeling like this since he'd been thrust into the Anti-Void. All the anger and negative emotions that had always gone through him seemed to wash away with this new feeling. As confused as he was... he... wasn't against it. This feeling, whatever it was, something in him recognized it... still remembered.... that part of him was reaching out to his enemy.... to Ink.   
  
Fear didn't enter him, like it normally did in that moment; it should have still been with him as he moved forward, but the usual emotions... the things he was so used to... seemed to have vanished. Neither one of them really seemed to know how it happened, or when, but the distance between them had vanished and Ink simply looked at Error as the other seemed to try not to look at him, but was snuggled into his embrace as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 


	17. This Feeling

Ink didn't say anything, it just... felt right. He knew he shouldn't feel safe, that he should be worried, but there was that part of him that seemed to push all that away as Error seemed to have .... fallen asleep? He looked at the other skeleton. For the first time that the artist could remember, he found the one skeleton who seemed to trust him the least was now curled against him like a babybones.  _He must have really been exhausted...._  Ink thought back to all that had happened. It was strange, it seemed like almost a lifetime ago that they were at one another's throats like cats and dogs, but here he was holding Error. The one who never wanted anyone to touch him, who seemed to freeze if anyone tried or got angry and snapped... Wasn't Error supposed to be afraid of touch?  _Hmmm, I wonder, maybe he's not really so much afraid of touch itself as just afraid of letting someone get close... afraid of losing someone who means so much to him. Considering his past, it makes perfect sense. So, he's not really afraid of touch and that's why...._  The scene played again in his mind. Error had gone from questioning him like he was a suspicious monster to leaping into his arms like a long-lost friend. Except, they weren't friends.  
  
It was deeper than that. They were meant to be soulmates; though Ink was still sort of lost on the whole part about him somehow having a soul when it wasn't like what Error or any other version of Sans had. He thought back over what Aria had told him about it. She was a strange one, that was for sure, but she seemed so certain about what she had spoken of. She had known his story. Error's story too. He could hear her sadness too, as if she regretted something she wasn't even responsible for as she'd told him about Error's past. He wasn't sure if it was right, but she just didn't seem like the type to have caused something like what had happened to Error. He hadn't seen her soul, so he couldn't be sure, but there was just this feeling when he'd been around her that had been more like a being with a sad mother than anything; if she really did all that she said... then it was no wonder she seemed that way. It was hard enough just caring for the universes he knew about, not to mention remembering them; he could not fathom taking care of as many as she had seemed to imply that she took care of.  
  
He wondered what would happen now. Would Error push him away when he woke up or would he simply stare up at him? Would he attack even though he'd been the one to initiate the embrace in the first place? Ink wasn't sure, but for now he simply enjoyed the feeling. As right as this felt, it couldn't be wrong, could it? Hadn't Aria said something about it? He couldn't really remember all of what she had said in terms of him and Error, but did that really matter? As long as he had Error around, did it really matter what someone else said or thought? He smiled a bit to himself, he knew the answer to that. He had spent so much time trying to just be friends... he never would have guessed, on his own, that they were supposed to be more than that. Even if they seemed to be the same skeleton, Ink knew they were not. They were not the same individual and they had experienced different things. Even before they had entered the Anti-Void, both had unique experiences to themselves. It made them unique individuals. Thus they had unique names that were all their own, even if they were a Sans... Ink would never be Error nor would Error be Ink. They were themselves and it was not just their personalities or their clothes, they had possessed different souls too, from the very beginning. Ink was certain of this, if of nothing else at that very moment.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on DA, I am the owner of the original story.
> 
> I own rights only to the story idea and Aria.
> 
> Aria is my own creation, please do not use her without permission!


End file.
